Brown Bear

This brown bear knows why it’s called “fishing” and not “catching”. On this overcast morning he waited nearly motionless atop the falls for an hour, watching the churning pools below the falls, before a school of salmon came up the river and gave him opportunities to catch a meal. Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska.

These two brown bears know why its called “fishing” and not “catching”. On this overcast morning they waited nearly motionless atop the falls for an hour, watching the churning pools below the falls, before a school of salmon came up the river and gave them opportunities to catch a meal.

The brown bear on the right, which we nicknamed Scarface for his battered head bearing many previous scars, got hammered hard by the boar on the left. Scarface was not having any luck catching salmon and tried to steal a fish from the one on the left. Big mistake. The bright gash on Scarface, below the left ear, was freshened just seconds before this shot. It was quite a battle, much of it obscured by flying water which killed most of the photo opportunities. It was sad to see the humbled Scarface afterward as he moved to the side but remained on the scene for a while, licking his wounds literally. Life is not easy for these animals.

I did not fully appreciate the good fortune of seeing the brawl at the time it happened, I guess it is special to see such a brutal fight between grizzlies at such close range. German Stefan Meyers, a wildlife photographer with years of experience with bears who was next to me rattling off frames with his D2x, said afterward that it was a “lifetime op”.

This Alaskan Brown Bear (or grizzly bear, Ursus arctos) was quite skilled at catching salmon jumping up falls. He had honed his technique and was expert at energy conservation, barely moving until the moment he would suddenly snag a salmon in midair, then barely moving again as he ate it. While he was at the falls, no other bears challenged him for his prime fishing spot.

The term “brown bear” is commonly used to refer to the members of Ursus arctos found in coastal areas where salmon is the primary food source. Brown bears found inland and in northern habitats are often called “grizzlies“.

This young Alaskan brown bear (Ursus arctos) waited patiently for the bruisers to get their fill and leave the prime spots above the falls before he was able to go in and have a turn. He had not really figured out how best to catch the fish in mid-air and often resorted to trying to snag them with his paw. He had seen too many Brooks Robinson highlight reels.

I should mention that the relatively slow motor drive of the Canon 1Ds Mark II at 4 fps meant that I was really only able to get a single good frame off when shooting a bear-catch-fish attempt, nevertheless it was such a typical behaviour that I was afforded hundreds of opportunities in spite of a light salmon run, I will post some in the coming weeks as I wade through the 4000+ frames shot during my week-long first visit to Brooks.